It's A Dare

They made it home later that day, tired and bedraggled, but heroic and happy. Arthur spent the next few hours relaying everything that had happened to his father, whilst trying his very hardest not to fall asleep… or gaze at Merlin across the room. Both of which he was finding surprisingly difficult.

Merlin was hovering around the meeting as usual, providing things when needed. But he couldn't help his eyes being drawn to Arthur every few minutes. He tried to convince himself it was because he was worried for the prince; he must be so tired from taking the late night watch. But he was pretty sure there was something more to it than that. Something about the way that his deep eyes seemed to shine with a new light. And the chiselled face seemed to hold something stronger to it now. It was entrancing…

Pah, Merlin shook his head briskly. He was probably the tired one here.

Finally, the meeting was over, the King was satisfied, and Arthur, Merlin and the knights were free to leave, which they did so quickly, eager to kick back and relax after all the fighting and the meetings and the travelling. And what better place was there to do so than the tavern?

The rowdy lot burst in through the wooden doors just as nightfall came.

"Prepare your best table, bring you best booze and ready your best ladies," Gwaine announced, laughing as he spearheaded the group. "For we are the Knights of Camelot. And we are ready to party!"

There were various shouts from around the group, and Arthur and Merlin couldn't help but cheer along. The evening started off great. Plenty of merriment and mirth, jokes shared and wine drunk. But, try as they might, neither Merlin nor Arthur could stay away from each other, or stop sharing eye contact, physical contact, inside jokes, everything and anything that set them apart from the rest of the group. And every time this happened, the knights became beside themselves with glee. So then they'd try and stay away from each other, but within a few minutes, something would have happened to set them off again.

A few more drinks, and a lot more laughter later, the pair had finally relaxed enough to have a properly good time. Merlin was even cracking jokes, something that only happened when he was rather drunk. He was halfway through the particularly hilarious tale of Arthur and his belt, when he noticed a friend standing alone in the middle of the pub.

Momentarily forgetting his story, he wandered over to him, calling out a greeting. "Henry!"

The man spun around in surprise. "Merlin!" he exclaimed once he realised who it was.

"How have you been?" Merlin responded wrapping his arms around Henry fondly.

"I've been good, and yourself?"

"Oh, just wonderful." Merlin wrinkled his nose sarcastically. "You still in carpentry?"

"Yep, what are you doing now? I heard you were a Physician's Apprentice, good on you." Henry clapped his shoulder friendlily.

"Yes. Still doing that. But also ended up servant to Prince Arthur, would you believe?" Merlin chuckled.

"How much have you had tonight, Merlin?" Henry looked at him suspiciously.

"Not much. Well, a fair amount. But I'm serious! Look, he's just over there with the Knights of Camelot." Merlin raised his arm in a lazy wave. Gwaine beckoned them over but Merlin shook his head. He really didn't want to scare Henry off by introducing him to Arthur and Gwaine and everyone. And Arthur was looking particularly stony all of a sudden. His eyes were set harshly on the table, but as Merlin watched, his head shot up to glance over this way, before hurriedly returning to burning through the jug in front of him.

"Is that the Prince?" Henry stared, surprised.

"Yep. And he doesn't look too happy. But then again, what's changed?" Merlin laughed. "I should probably get back to him."

But even as he spoke, he noticed Arthur standing from the table and making his way over.

"Oh God." Henry fidgeted uncomfortably. "That's the Prince. Do I look presentable?" Henry fussed.

"You look dashing as ever." Merlin winked, sense clouded by the alcohol in his brain.

"And what's going on here?" Arthur asked grumpily.

"Arthur!" Merlin grinned. "This is my good friend Henry, who also moved here from Ealdor, just like me!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, my lord." Henry inclined his head and extended his hand.

Arthur made no move to shake it but Merlin stared him down, emphatically, until he conceded.

"And you." Arthur returned bleakly.

There was an awkward pause.

Merlin, sensing the tension, cut in chirpily. "Henry, do you remember when…"

"I'm sure this would be a fascinating story, Merlin, but shouldn't you let 'Henry' get back to his own friends?" Arthur suggested sharply, making it sound more like a command.

"Oh, no, that's fine, I don't actually…" Henry began but was silenced by a glare from Arthur.

"And you can come back to your friends, Merlin." Arthur finished, still staring at Henry, as though putting him down, but pretending to talk to Merlin.

Merlin shrugged apologetically at Henry. "It was nice to see you. Catch up another time…" Merlin leant closer and muttered. "When I haven't got the Prince from hell with me."

Henry laughed and nodded and shuffled off. Merlin turned to walk back to the table of knights - who were all curiously watching them - but found his way blocked by Arthur.

"Who was that?" Arthur demanded.

"I told you… Henry's a friend from…"

"Oh… just a friend?" Arthur questioned, haughtily.

"Yes… why?" Merlin asked, confused.

"Oh, nothing, I'm sure you're the very best of buddies with all your little Ealdor mates and go and have a good laugh about big, bad Camelot in your funny, little huts…" Arthur ranted.

"What's your problem?" Merlin huffed, and tried to push past Arthur.

Arthur, however, was having none of this, and so grabbed Merlin, spun him and shoved him up against the nearest pillar, pinning his hands above his head so he couldn't escape.

"Arthur… what?"

"What were you talking about? What was with all the laughing and touching and jokes… and… and general friendliness?" Arthur pushed.

"Nothing… I mean, nothing in particular… we were just…" Merlin stuttered. Then broke off and stared at Arthur. There was a pause. Then. "You're jealous." Merlin's eyes widened in realisation.

"What?" Arthur blinked, irritated and confused.

Merlin started to laugh. "You're jealous! You, Arthur Pendragon, Prince of Camelot and future King, are jealous!"

"What? No I'm not… Pah… as if." Arthur protested.

"Then explain this." Merlin raised his eyebrow, indicating the situation Arthur had caused, glad to be the one with the upper hand for once.

"This? This is nothing. This is just…" Arthur mumbled, letting go and stepping back.

"Sure." Merlin winked, and then, before Arthur could stop him, he darted around him and sauntered back towards the table.

"You're looking very pleased with yourself, young boy." Gwaine noted when Merlin reached them. "What could have possibly given such an innocent mind such joy?" he teased.

"Oh, reconnecting with an old friend." Merlin wafted vaguely. Arthur slid onto the seat next to him, giving him a death stare. Which only convinced Merlin to say it more. "And the fact that Arthur's completely…"

He was cut off by a strong hand gripping over his mouth. He managed to turn his head enough to see that it was Arthur's, although he already suspected as much. He tried to mumble through the fingers, but the word couldn't form properly.

"Arthur's what?" Gwaine prompted.

Merlin struggled with Arthur for a few seconds, before eventually resorting to the age old tactic of licking. He stuck his tongue out and wiggled it. Arthur tensed up, before ripping his hand away.

"Urgh! Merlin!" he exclaimed.

"Jealous." Merlin finally managed to get out. "Arthur's jealous."

"Oh really?" Gwaine sniggered, leaning forward, intrigued.

"Of course not; it's just Merlin wishful thinking." Arthur interjected.

"Of course, my lord." Gwaine raised an eyebrow and looked the pair up and down pointedly. Arthur's hands had wrapped themselves, one around Merlin's waist to pull him closer on the bench, and the other, previously around his face, had come to rest on his chest.

They moved themselves apart.

"Yes. Of course. Right. What now?" Arthur steered the conversation.

"Don't you try and change the topic, my friend." Gwaine shook his head, slowly and playfully patronising. "I know what you're doing."

"There's nothing else to say on this matter." Arthur stated.

"Oh but there is. There's so much." Gwaine persisted. "Would you like it in a list? I can make a list." He ignored them as they tried to speak, instead powering over them. "1: The little looks and stares. 2: The little touches. 3: The not so little, more like prolonged and everlasting, desperate gazing – which I noticed happening the whole way through that meeting just then, by the way, don't think I didn't. 4: The, again, not so little, strokes and grabs and holding. 5: The inside jokes and teasing. 6: The feeding straight into his mouth and then eating off the same spoon – there is literally nothing I don't see. 7: The sleeping together. 8: The hand holding. 9: The jealously and general protectiveness you have over each other the entire time. And 10: You two… in general… just… everything." He finished with a flourish, slamming his hands down on the table in triumph. The other knights applauded wildly. "Now try and tell me there's nothing going on between you."

Arthur and Merlin looked at each, at how closely they were sitting, at how their feet were almost touching, at how their hands were hovering nearby. Simultaneously, they tried to subtly slide away from each other.

"There's nothing going on between us." They uttered in synchronisation. Then glared at the other one for being so… together.

"See? See?!" Gwaine practically exploded. "You're so… perfect for each other. You do everything at the same time, in the same way! Don't think I didn't see that little slide, as well."

The pair rolled their eyes… at the same time.

"There… see! You both rolled your eyes!" Gwaine fumbled.

"And? That doesn't mean anything." Arthur pointed out.

"Exactly." Merlin nodded.

"Ok. Ok. Fine." Gwaine receded and the pair breathed a sigh of relief. Simulatenously, of course.

"Thank you!" Arthur exclaimed.

"At last!" Merlin agreed.

"If there really is nothing going on between you…" Gwaine continued. "Then I dare you to kiss."

"What?" they protested.

"Well, if there really is nothing going on, then you guys shouldn't care about kissing. If it really doesn't mean anything."

"It doesn't, because there isn't, but I'm not going to kiss him." Merlin objected.

There was a moment's silence. Everyone looked expectantly at Arthur.

"Come on then, Merlin." Arthur sighed, standing up.

"What?" Merlin hissed. "You can't seriously be considering this."

Arthur grabbed Merlin by the arm and hauled him up, so that they were standing face to face.

"I feel like one of my fantasies is finally coming true." Gwaine giggled. "Turn so that we can see you fully. And it has to be a proper kiss, not just some cowardly, girly peck." He instructed.

"Merlin…" Arthur hissed when Merlin resisted. "It's a dare."

"And?" Merlin shrugged and tried to pull away.

"He's daring us. You can't back down from a dare." Arthur forced, stepping towards him.

"Yes, you can." Merlin stepped back.

"Not in the knighthood." Another step forwards.

"But you're the Prince, you're the leader." Another step back. Oh dear. Pillar.

"Doesn't really mean much off the battlefield. Plus if we don't, they're just going to keep saying that we have something going on and that we're madly in love… or something." Arthur pointed out, continuing to step forwards so Merlin was trapped by the pillar.

"But… but… but…" Merlin complained.

"Merlin… don't make me look bad." Arthur warned, positioning his arms either side of Merlin's head to stop him from escaping.

"Fine." Merlin sighed.

Then they realised the position they had ended up in and Arthur awkwardly put his arms down.

"You alright there, lovers?" Gwaine prompted. "Or should we give you a minute?"

"It's fine." Arthur insisted.

"So what do we do?" Merlin panicked.

"We kiss… please tell me you've done this before."

"Yes but not on command!"

"Just… Shut up, Merlin." Arthur commanded.

Then he took a deep breath, and took Merlin's face in his hands. Well, here goes nothing, he thought, and leant in.

Their lips touched. Only lightly at first, a hesitant brushing of skin to skin, lip to lip.

"A proper kiss." Gwaine was shouting somewhere in the far off distance.

But he didn't matter. Nothing mattered. Not now.

Arthur, realising he was probably in charge here, pressed their mouths further onto each other. Merlin's breath hitched, involuntarily; he hadn't expected Arthur's lips to be this soft.

Somewhere in the background there was cheering and whooping.

Arthur had a vague feeling that he should be stopping this some time soon. But he didn't want to. He wanted more. He needed more.

Impulsively, he pulled Merlin closer, grabbing him round his waist and tugging him flush against his body. Merlin automatically wrapped his arms around Arthur's neck, fingers sliding into his plush, blonde hair. Their lips started properly working, fitting together perfectly, grinding in a faultless friction, casting their minds into a blissful blankness apart from this. Arthur tugged at Merlin's bottom lip with his teeth, eliciting a moan from Merlin. This was all too much for Arthur, who began clawing at Merlin's hips, pulling him in, pulling him closer, pushing him up against the pillar behind him. Merlin's fingers were running along the sculpted jawline, teasing their faces closer and closer…

Someone coughed. Loudly.

The pair tore themselves apart, landing back in reality, and jumping, startled.

Arthur took a step back, Merlin tried to, but realised he was against a pillar, and instead just stumbled clumsily.

They looked at each other, awkwardly, both blushing bright red. Then, slowly, they turned to look at the gobsmacked faces of the knights.

They were just sitting there, staring. They had not really been expecting that.

Finally, Gwaine managed to recover enough to say "So… nothing happening between you: my arse."

Everyone laughed, and that seemed to break the spell. Still in a slight state of shock, Merlin and Arthur sat down, instantly greeted by many people trying to clap them on the back and congratulate them.

"Now, I don't mean to say I told you so…" Gwaine began. "But I did tell you so."

"I'm pleased for you guys." Percival added.

"Like an old married couple." Leon grinned.

"To Merlin and Arthur!" somebody raised a glass and suddenly everyone was chanting their names.

More congratulations and comments washed over the group, and slowly they became more comfortable, and even tired, of this topic of conversation, and so life moved on.

But Arthur gently took Merlin's hand under the table, squeezing it as if to say

'I'm never going to let you go now.'

And Merlin squeezed in return.

'I wouldn't let you if you tried.'

They caught eyes with Gwaine across the table, and slightly inclined their heads: 'Thank you'.

He winked right back: 'You're so very welcome.'

And that was that.

And that was good enough for them.

And that was perfect.

Forever perfect.

And that's it! Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Sorry for keeping on saying that! You're feedback is much appreciated; thank you so much for everything so far :) If anybody has any prompts, Merthur or otherwise (I'm feeling Johnlock, Malec, Phan and Merthur right now), let me know and i'll try and do them if I can :) Thanks for everything!